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Aston
Martin Lagonda Limited
British manufacturer of luxury cars headquartered
at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. The company name was derived from the Aston
Clinton hill climb and the company's founder, Lionel Martin. Today, Aston Martin
is part of the Premier Automotive Group division of Ford Motor Company. Aston
Martin was founded in 1914 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. The two had joined
forces as Bamford & Martin the previous year to sell cars made by Singer from
premises in Callow Street, London. Martin raced specials at the Aston Hill near
Aston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles. They acquired
premises at Henniker Place in Kensington and produced their first car in March
1915. Production could not start because of World War 1 and Martin joined the
Admiralty and Bamford the Royal Army Service Corps. All machinery was sold to
the Sopwith Aircraft Company. Aston
Martin DB9
A
Grand tourer launched by Aston Martin in 2004 and is the first new car to be built
at Aston's Gaydon facility. The name "DB" stems from David Brown, the
owner of Aston Martin for a sizeable part of its history. This model, which was
designed by Ian Callum and finished by his successor, Henrik Fisker, superseded
the now-discontinued Aston Martin DB7 (also by Callum) which started production
in 1994. Aston
Martin DB7
Vantage Zagato was a limited-edition grand tourer made
by Aston Martin. Introduced at the Paris Motor Show in October, 2002, the Zagato
was immediately sold out. Only 99 examples were sold to the public, though one
extra was produced for the Aston Martin museum. Like the V12 Vantage on which
it is based, the Zagato is powered by a 6.0 L V12 engine and controlled via a
6-speed manual transmission. It has a top speed of 186 mph and a 0-60 mph acceleration
time of 4.9 seconds. Aston
Martin DB5
Released in 1963, was a slight upgrade from the DB4 which
preceded it. It is most famous for being the first and most recognised James Bond
car, seen in Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and the
next Bond film Casino Royale. The
major difference between the DB4 and DB5 is the engine — the DB5's was boosted
to 4.0 L (3995 cc/243 in³). Another addition was the 5-speed transmission option.
The standard engine, with three SU carburettors, produced 282 hp (210 kW), propelling
the car to 148 mph (238 km/h). Aston
Martin DB2
Was a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1950 through
1953. It was a major advancement over the 2-Litre Sports model it replaced, with
a dual overhead cam straight-6 in place of the previously-used pushrod straight-4.
The engine was larger, too, at 2.6 L, and the car was designed as a closed coupe.
A later drophead coupe model was also introduced, accounting for ¼ of the model's
total sales. The DB2 was extremely successful in racing, setting Brown's company
up for future success. Aston
Martin DB AR1
Was a limited-edition grand tourer made by Aston
Martin for the United States market in 2003. It was introduced at the Los Angeles
Auto Show in January of 2003 and had no convertible top at all. The DB AR1 used
the powerful 6.0 litre, 48-valve, V12 engine from the V12 Vantage. Only 99 examples
were produced. It had a top speed of 186 mph and a 0-60 mph acceleration time
of 4.9 seconds. Aston
Martin DB6
Was a sports car manufactured by Aston Martin from 1965
to 1970. The car had improved aeroydynamics and specification over its predecessor,
the DB5. One major change from the DB5 to the DB6 was the abandonment of the superleggera
construction technique for the more common body-on-frame. Triple SU carbs produced
282 hp (210 kW). A Mark II car shared many parts with the then-new DBS. Aston
Martin V8
Is a two-door saloon-type automobile manufactured in
the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1990. Aston Martin's customers had been clamouring
for an eight-cylinder car for years, so Aston Martin designed a larger 2-door
saloon for V8 applications. The engine was not ready, however, so in 1967 the
company released the DBS with the straight-6 Vantage engine from the DB6. Two
years later, Tadek Marek's V8 was ready, and Aston released the DBS V8. With the
demise of the straight-6 Vantage in 1973, the DBS V8, now called simply the Aston
Martin V8, became the company's mainstream car for two decades. It was retired
in favour of the Virage in 1990. Aston
Martin Virage
Virage was Aston Martin's replacement for the decades-old
V8 models. Introduced at the Birmingham Motor Show in 1988, it was joined by the
high-performance Vantage in 1993, and the name of the standard car was changed
to V8 in 1996. Aston
Martin Rapide
Aston Martin Rapide is a four-door, four-seat coupe,
which would be produced by Aston Martin from 2008 to compete with the Porsche
Panamera, Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class and Maserati Quattroporte. It was first presented
under the form of a concept car at the North American International Auto Show
in 2006. The Rapide name is a reference to the Lagonda Rapide, a sedan produced
by Lagonda, now part of Aston Martin. Aston
Martin DBS
Aston Martin DBS was a GT car produced by the English
manufacturer Aston Martin from 1967 to 1972. The
DBS was the successor to the famed Aston Martin DB6 line. Powered by a straight-6
engine, it lasted from 1967 through 1972 before being replaced by the Aston Martin
Vantage. It was a larger coupe than the DB6, with four full seats, but was powered
by the same 4.0 L engine as the previous car. The engine normally produced 282
hp (210 kW), but a no-cost DBS Vantage option upped output to 325 hp (242 kW).
The DBS had a much more modern look than either the DB6 or Vantage with a square
non-Aston grille. Aston
Martin Vantage
Aston Martin has used the Vantage name on a number
of vehicles, normally indicating a high-performance version of another model.
In one case, 1972–1973, the Vantage was a distinct model, being a straight-6 powered
version of the (normally V8) DBS and successor to the DB-series. Aston
Martin Lagonda
Aston Martin Lagonda was a luxury four-door saloon
built by Aston Martin of Newport Pagnell, England, between 1976 and 1989. Aston
Martin was about to go out of business in the mid-1970s and needed something to
bring in some much needed funds. Traditionally, Aston Martin had worked on 2+2
sports cars, but the Aston Martin Lagonda was a four-door saloon car with a brand
new Aston Martin V8 engine. As soon as it was introduced, it received hundreds
of deposits from potential customers, helping Aston Martin's chances. Aston
Martin DB2/4
The DB2/4 was a sports car sold by Aston Martin from
1953 through 1957. It was based on the DB2 model it replaced, but featured 2+2
seating and a novel hatch back, well ahead of the times. Other changes included
a wraparound windscreen, larger bumpers, and repositioned headlights. As before,
a drophead coupe was also offered, and private buyers commissioned Bertone to
build a handful of spiders. Aston
Martin V12 Vanquish
Aston Martin V12 Vanquish is a supercar manufactured
by Aston Martin since 2001. It rose to fame after being featured as the official
James Bond car in Die Another Day, the twentieth James Bond film. In the film,
the Vanquish has the usual Bond film embellishments, including active camouflage
which rendered the vehicle virtually invisible. Aston
Martin DB3S
DB3S was a lighter version of the car, introduced in
1953. It was somewhat more successful, and was produced until 1956. Two coupe
versions were also built. The
DB3S was replaced in 1956 by the famed DBR1, which finally claimed Le Mans in
1959. Aston
Martin DBR9
Is a new racing car by Aston Martin, first built in
2005. The name DBR9 is derived from the original Le Mans-winning DBR1 car which
not only won the 24 Hour race in 1959 but the World Sports car title too. Aston
Martin DB3
DB3 was introduced in 1951 with a 133 hp (99 kW) 2.6
L Lagonda straight-6 engine from the DB2 Vantage. The car was unsuccessful, so
a larger 2.9 L engine, producing 163 hp (122 kW), was introduced for 1952. The
car went on to place 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at Silverstone that year behind a Jaguar
C-Type. The cars were forced out of Le Mans, but did claim the 9-hour race at
Goodwood. |